The Force Is a Funny Thing
by Penelope Montrosa
Summary: The strongest Force bonds are usually reserved for people who are attached to each other indefinitely, who believe they could actually die together if it came to that. It ties their souls, promises them to one another, and it doesn't always matter if you want it or not because the Force isn't so far from the word 'Fate' in circumstances like this one.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N:_ Okay. I've read books, watched the cartoons and all six movies (actually, I've been watching those since I was in diapers, but yeah), read some comics, read every book I could get my hands on with Star Wars in the title, and I've come to one very important conclusion.

What in the kriffing frell were the makers of Star Wars thinking?

Not only did they stick Padme Amidala with a jerk like Anakin Skywalker (who, I might add, showed various signs of falling to the dark side many times over – _"Well they should be made to listen!" _dictator-wannabe, much? – lol, not very perceptive there, are ya' Padme, dear?)but they also decided to leave poor Obi-Wan Kenobi without any hope of love (oh, yeah, I know, there was that Siri girl at one point, but where is she now? Dead, that's where).

Oh, and one more thing.

In the Clone Wars cartoon series, Ahsoka is shown to be around the same age as Barriss Offee, but logically, Barriss would've probably been closer to Anakin Skywalker in the age department. Or, at least, that's how I'm seeing it (I mean, come on, she was practically a Knight in the MedStar series, probably close to early twenties, and that was set a while before Ani turned to the dark side). So, _logically, _Ahsoka would either have been the same age as Anakin Skywalker or a lot younger than Barriss – which, we didn't see either of these happen here, so I'm wondering where in the galaxy they got their information from. (And wait, wasn't Ahsoka like _eleven _or _twelve _when the series started? So she would only be around sixteen – maybe even younger – at this point in CW. In the Return of the Sith, Anakin was… twenty something? I'm thinking early twenties. So what the heck is happening here? He must've been in his teens still when he started training her… oh, but wait, he wasn't. Hmm…)

Gfdjghfjdhgfdjhfdj

This fandom is so awesome, yet so messed up. And, may I just stress this point…

OBI-WAN, YOU SAINT, YOU ANGEL, YOU WONDERFUL BEING FROM ABOVE, I LOVE YOU. HOW IN THE FRELL YOU MANAGED TO TRAIN AN ASS LIKE ANAKIN FOR WHO-KNOWS-HOW-MANY-YEARS WITHOUT YOUR BRAIN EXPLODING FROM FRUSTRATION IS BEYOND ME!

Ahem.

Right.

Okay, super long author's note is almost over, I promise.

This is my way of fixing stupid facts like the 'Obi-Wan never fell in love/got his lovely love ripped out of him by Siri getting herself killed' awfulness. Yes, it's kind of a crack-y pairing, but get over it. I love Ahsoka, she's incredible, and she was originally supposed to be Obi-Wan's Padawan anyway (before Yoda decided to stick his tiny green thumbs into this story and throw Ahsoka to the wolf in monk's clothing – Anakin ,The Guy-Who-Was-Dropped-On-His-Head-As-A-Baby).

P.S. Ahsoka is going to be a bit older in here. I'm just going to completely rip the part about Ani turning to the dark side out of this story, because I can't handle his angst-y life. So don't expect Sith!Anakin to pop up. Maybe slightly Dark!Anakin at times, but no Sithy-ness. Besides, this fanfic is primarily focused on Obi-Wan and Ahsoka (but of course you'll see Anakin, because he'll have to deal with the drama. Laugh out loud).

P.S.S. I'm throwing Barriss in here at some point, because she's incredible. No lie.

P.S.S.S. I don't actually _hate _Anakin. I just wish they had done a better job with his story. Because he pretty much ruins everyone's life and that's not awesome at all. Kthnx. (In fact, when I was like nine years old I used to have a major crush on him. And then he turned to the Dark Side and broke my little heart. Not cool, peeps. Not cool).

- Spock … uh… I mean, Qui-Gon _out. _

* * *

_**1.**_

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Ryo Chuchi blinked in surprise when she saw Ahsoka Tano stumble into the wall, balancing herself with one hand as if trying not to fall over. The Togruta was usually the picture of perfection when it came to fighting or teaching hand to hand combat skills – as she was doing now with the newly appointed Senator – and Ryo had never seen her actually _falter _before. Even if Ahsoka was tired, she never seemed to make mistakes when it came to combat (probably another good thing about being apprenticed to Anakin Skywalker, you always had to stay on your feet properly). But this time Ryo Chuchi noticed something quite alarming about the girl in front of her. Ahsoka Tano looked, literally, _half dead. _She didn't merely seem sick or exhausted, but utterly and completely drained, as if her life force had decided to spill some of its contents onto the hard granite floor.

"Padawan Tano?" Ryo said quietly, stepping up beside her sparring partner and touching the Togruta lightly on the shoulder. "Is everything alright?"

No, everything was not alright. That much was becoming increasingly clear as Ahsoka reached up to place a hand against her sweaty head tails, her already red face darkening slightly as she furrowed her brow and squeezed her eyes shut. Then, suddenly she opened them again, and Ryo drew back at the panic she could see in the other young woman's cloudy gaze.

"Help… me…!"

And this time it was serious, because Ahsoka never, _ever_ asked for help. Asking for help was something weak people did, asking for help was something that an apprentice to the Chosen One would never even _think_ of doing, but the fact that she had uttered those two words was enough to make Ryo's own heart start racing. The blue-skinned Senator stumbled away from the Togruta and reached inside her discarded coat that was lying on the floor a couple of feet away, fumbling with the power switch and bringing up the first number she could think of – a medical facility not too far away from the training dojo on Pantora.

When the line stopped ringing and the voice of a young medic's aid picked up, Ryo tried to keep her voice even.

"Listen to me; I need you to send a medical transport immediately to sector fifty two of the senatorial training grounds. Do it now!"

* * *

Anakin Skywalker never felt particularly great about leaving his Apprentice by herself, especially when it came to missions. But ever since the mysterious attacks had been showing up on various planets – as well as the one he was standing on right now, Pantora – the Jedi had been spread a bit thin. The three of them, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and himself, had been dispatched as a three man team (in which his Togruta Padawan had protested the name from the very beginning – _"Three 'man' team? Are we running a sexist ship, or what? Why can't we call it a 'three female team' huh? Geez… humans…")_. As expected, Obi-Wan had immediately said his usual 'I have a bad feeling about this' line that seemed to pop up every time any of them was about to do something dangerous (then again, sometimes it also slipped out right before Anakin decided to take on the project of dismantling something and putting whatever it was back together again) and Anakin had merely nodded, used to his Master's rather cautious and thoughtful ways. What he did find odd, however, was that Obi-Wan actually looked a bit – well, more than a bit – worried this time. He was usually calm when uttering his favorite 'bad feeling' line, but this time… this time he really did look sick to his stomach, like he seriously had a _really _bad feeling going on.

After the three of them had finally climbed off the ship, Anakin had instructed his apprentice to meet Ryo Chuchi when she arrived at the hangar, while both he and Obi-Wan would accompany the guards on their scouting path to see if they could pick up any clues about the attacks. Ahsoka had readily agreed; she really seemed to like Ryo even though the two of them had only met a couple of times.

"We can train a bit," she had said, obviously happy at the prospect. "Senator Chuchi has been learning some hand to hand from her guards because she says it keeps her light on her feet. I bet she could teach me some stuff – and I've got a few things to show her too."

"Sure snips," Anakin had agreed. "Just be careful. And good luck."

"I don't need it!" had been her all-too-ready response.

But this time she had needed it. Something was wrong; he could feel it through the connection the two of them shared. In fact, the connection itself was the problem this time. It was as if it were slipping, cutting its ties and falling from place into oblivion. For one terrifying moment, he thought she must've died or gotten mortally injured, but no… faintly, he could sense her presence. She was alive, if nothing else.

"Master," Anakin said, nudging Obi-Wan from his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"It's Ahsoka. Something… something feels wrong. No, nothing _feels _at all. I don't know what exactly, but something is happening – something bad."

Obi-Wan paused and then turned to the guards nearest them. "Apologies," he said. "We're going to have to drop out of this for a bit. An emergency has come up unexpectedly."

"Master…"

"Don't worry about it, Anakin. Duty comes first, after all."

"Duty, Master?"

He smiled. "Yes. Ahsoka is our charge, she has been entrusted to us, and therefore our duty is her, first and foremost."

Anakin breathed a sigh of relief. His Master was clever, just one of those _good things _about being apprenticed to Qui-Gon Jinn for a time. Twisting words blatantly was not seen as such a wonderful occurrence to the Jedi, but being able to take the word 'attachment' and switch it with 'duty' at the same time as making it sound noble was a true gift indeed.

* * *

"Take deep breaths, Master Jedi," the medic instructed. "Take deep breaths!"

"I… I… _can't!" _

It was only the truth. She couldn't catch her breath, no matter what the medics did. They hooked her up to oxygen, checked her airway, but nothing _looked _wrong on the outside. Yet Ahsoka couldn't breathe – she tried, of course, to suck in a breath of air, but nothing worked. Only a thin stream was keeping oxygen in her lungs.

"Everything is going wrong – where is her team? Get them in here now, we're losing her fast!"

"Masters Skywalker and Kenobi are on their way, but I doubt they'll be able to get here in time –"

Ahsoka began to lose consciousness around that point. Her vision darkened to a small slit and it took all her willpower just to keep the blurry images in front of her from fading away completely. And then there were familiar voices – _"What the frell is wrong with her?!", _"_Anakin, losing your calm will not help her in any way." – _and she was comforted just by the fact that the people who had her back were here, even if it was only to watch her die.

"Stand back! Ahsoka, listen to the sound of my voice. Do not, and I repeat, do not go toward the light."

"Anakin, that's hardly appropriate –"

"Master Jedi! Please, she is fading. We have no other options. This 'Force', I have heard of it. It has medical uses, yes?"

"Yes."

"Then implement them… and hurry. If you do not, she most certainly has no chance."

There was a pause that seemed to go on forever but in reality was only a few seconds before Ahsoka felt someone lightly touch her arms. Then these same hands pressed gently against her throat and shoulders, pressing down against them. A warm feeling began to spread through her lungs, filling them with much needed oxygen and somehow forcing her to begin breathing again.

'_Ahsoka, are you alright?' _Obi-Wan asked, the Force connection growing stronger as he poured some of his own life force into Ahsoka. Anakin held her hand, doing his best to heal what little physical damage he could see.

'_I'm getting there…'_

'_Just hold on.'_

'_That's easy for you to say.'_

If the situation had not been so dire, Obi-Wan probably would've gotten some sort of amusement out of the snarky reply, especially since Ahsoka had neglected to add 'Master Kenobi' at the end of her sentence. Usually she would have, if only to save herself from reprimand, but she was obviously too mentally and physically exhausted this time. To think that she did not even have the energy to save face was worrying all on its own.

An hour later and Ahsoka's condition was stable. She was able to breathe now on her own and the paleness was slowly leaving her skin, replacing it with the usual reddish tone that complimented someone of her species. Her eyelids had slid closed about half an hour ago, alarming all the medical staff until Obi-Wan had assured them that she was merely tired out, not dead.

"Will she be alright, Master Jedi?" Ryo asked quietly, turning worried eyes toward Ahsoka's still trembling figure.

"She is alive, Senator Chuchi. For a Jedi, that is quite enough to be thankful for."

"She could have died easily," Anakin muttered. "I barely helped at all. If you hadn't been with me…"

"Now is not the time to be dwelling on the 'what if's', Anakin. We live in the present, not the past or the future."

There was silence for a few minutes. Anakin appeared to be struggling, as if he were trying to figure out what to reply. He was tempted to say something snappish, but even though he was close to Obi-Wan in rank now, that didn't mean the Jedi Order condoned talking back to your former Master. So he pressed his lips together and stood, clasping his hands together behind his back. "I'll be outside."

"Anakin –"

"I need to make a call, Master. Watch Ahsoka for me and make sure she doesn't try to skip out of here without me knowing about it."

For a split second, Obi-Wan looked surprised. And then he nodded. "Yes, just like you would…"

"No, if it were me, I would be taking apart these medical droids right now. But it isn't, and she isn't – so just… _watch her._ Don't let her do anything stupid because she wants to appear strong."

"I have had lots of practice in keeping Padawans from running off when they get fidgety. I'm sure I can handle her."

Anakin looked skeptical, but he shrugged and stepped outside instead of arguing.

His Master had no idea what he was in for. A lot could happen during a simple phone call.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Really short authors note this time. Just want to thank _ for being my first reviewer! And yeah, I've always loved that about Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. The latter always did his own thing and made it look good. We can all be thankful he passed that skill down to Kenobi.

Also thanks to everyone else who reviewed and favorite and followed this story! Your support helps me loads.

Disclaimer: Should've put this on the first chapter, but I forgot. Anyways, you probably already know that **I don't own Star Wars in any way shape or form **since Anakin would never have turned to the Dark Side, Siri never would have died, and Luke and Leia would've grown up together if I did, in fact, own it; which I obviously don't.

By the way, Star Wars belongs to Disney now. I'm not exactly sure how to feel about that but… as long as they don't put the castle thing in the beginning of the next three movies they have planned out, I won't complain (much).

* * *

Ahsoka felt detached, like she was watching her body from afar. It was a weird feeling, something she had never experienced before, and it was only slightly beginning to freak her out. She wondered if this was what it felt like to die and then quickly pushed that thought from her mind. No, she wasn't ready to die, not until she had _at least _surpassed Anakin skill-wise. Besides, he had dropped hints about her Knighthood and how it was sure to come up soon – so Ahsoka decided that it would be a waste of all her years of training if she were to slip into the netherworld now.

"_I'm sure I can handle her." _

Ahsoka turned toward the familiar voice, her eyebrows lifting minutely as she listened to her Master and Obi-Wan end their conversation. She was only slightly miffed at the wording – she wasn't _that _bad, was she? – but what really caught her attention was the fact that Obi-Wan Kenobi was _glowing._ It was fascinating. Somehow the glow seemed to be connected to his Force aura, but yet it wasn't. It was a warm color, like the light that would occasionally hit the Naboo street cobblestones in _just _the right way.

She had the sudden urge to reach out and touch that glow, to feel its warmth, but she retracted her hand at the last minute. Not a second later, she was sucked back into consciousness, her eyes snapping open and her heart beginning to race. The out-of-body experience was totally gone now and she could clearly feel the sweat on her skin and hear the rattling breaths that she took to fill her lungs again. She felt lethargic and nauseas, not for the first time that day.

"M…aster…"

"Ahsoka," Obi-Wan replied evenly. "Are you feeling better?"

"H-hey, Master Kenobi… you're… glowing…"

"Glowing?" That was certainly an answer he hadn't been expecting. He lifted his hand in front of his face and blinked. He _wasn't _glowing, at least not to his knowledge. "I'm afraid I don't understand –"

"No, no, I'm… I'm _serious, _you're _glowing, _Master Kenobi," Ahsoka insisted.

The Togruta began to struggle into a sitting position, her arms trembling as she exerted herself. Her hands, slick with perspiration, slid clumsily on the metal bars on the sides of her cot.

"Ahsoka, your body has only just started to lapse into normality. I don't think it is wise to –"

"It doesn't _feel _normal," she whispered under her breath. "_Nothing _feels _normal _about this."

"Ahsoka –"

"I'm just telling you what I see! And what I see is _not _normal! You are definitely glowing – I'm _not _crazy! – And something is off with me. I still feel it, I still feel… feel as if something was ripped out of me. But it's so, so close and I can't – I can't – _find it!" _

"Padawan Ahsoka!" Obi-Wan interrupted harshly. She stopped talking abruptly, breathing hard, and her eyes wide with anxiety. The man turned toward the blood pressure meter and his lips thinned at the reading. "You need to calm yourself. It isn't healthy for you to be so worked up, especially in the condition you are currently in. Control yourself, Padawan."

_Control myself? I'm about to have a frellin' panic attack and all he can do is tell me to –_

"Censoring your thoughts might be somewhat beneficial as well," Obi-Wan sighed.

Ahsoka flushed a brighter red than normal and tried to hide it by appearing angry. "I have mental shields –"

"Apparently not very strong ones," Obi-Wan replied. "I was able to feel your emotions easily. In fact, I didn't even put an ounce of effort into it. You were broadcasting them to the galaxy –"

"I wasn't, Master. I have the _best _mental shields out of all the Apprentices in the Temple – it turns out that Sky Guy's a natural in that department."

"Then why –"

"I don't _you_ broadcasting your emotions? Because you're frustrated, and you're exasperated and you're worried."

"That's impossible…"

"Well, it's impossible for you to sense what I'm thinking too, Master Kenobi," Ahsoka answered quietly. She swallowed thickly. "But… you did. And I did."

"And you say that I am _glowing_?"

"…Yeah."

At that moment, Anakin entered the room, effectively interrupting their conversation. A relieved look immediately flooded his face and he was by Ahsoka's side in an instant. "You okay, Snips?"

"As 'okay' as I'll ever be, Sky Guy," she answered, forcing a smile. Obi-Wan's lips twitched into a frown. It wasn't obvious that she was tired of putting on a façade, tired of acting fine, but Anakin didn't notice. Her mental shields were up, her face was put into the usual cheerful plaster and she was good as gold – _on the outside. _

Ryo Chuchi pushed open the door of the medical ward a moment later. She stepped in, her eyes darting around awkwardly before resting on the younger woman. She swiftly walked over – all senatorial grace – and stooped beside Ahsoka's bed. "Are you doing a bit better, Padawan Tano?"

"I'm fine now," Ahsoka answered hastily, ignoring the way Obi-Wan's frown became deeper with each reassuring statement. "I'm just sorry that our training session had to be interrupted like this. I was looking forward to learning something new."

"I am sure there is not much that I would be able to teach you. Master Skywalker seems like quite a capable mentor."

"No, no, he's awful –"

"Snips!"

"I'm just _kidding,_ Sky Guy."

.

"This is complete Bantha shit."

Anakin sighed. "Snips, seriously, this is –"

"Unnecessary? Yeah, I totally agree with you, Master."

"_Ahsoka,_" he snapped. "You're still pale as the snow outside. There's no way we're staying here just to check out a scouting path. _That _would be illogical."

"Oh, right, and you are just _such _a bundle of logic all on your own, Sky Guy."

"Don't get snippy with me, Snips."

"Why do you always pull that out!?"

Obi-Wan decided that it was probably time he stepped in (more because of the fact that he didn't want his Apprentice to strangle Ahsoka – since that was what Anakin looked to be on the verge of doing). "I believe Anakin was only trying to look out for your well-being. Offending you was probably not his initial plan."

Ahsoka scowled, exposing her Togruta canines. "I am _not _helpless. I don't need to stay in the sick bay on the way back to the Temple."

"You're toeing the line, Ahsoka –"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan interrupted lowly. "Please. Quarreling does not make any situation better."

Ahsoka was sorely wound up. It was plain for Obi-Wan to see this, and he wondered why Anakin could not, but that was much too deep a subject to dwell on at that moment so he swiftly brushed the thought out of his mind. The Togruta in question was sitting in the co-pilot chair, stubbornly refusing to move herself to the ship's infirmary like Anakin had 'suggested'. She still looked severely under the weather, her skin pale and clammy and her face twisted in a way that told him she was extremely nauseas. None of these facts seemed to be helping her mood.

"I hate staying in places intended for medical purposes," Ahsoka finally sighed, her voice choked. "I've been there way too many times, and each time I almost died. That one virus, the lightsaber injuries, and almost freezing myself to death… there's just too many _bad _memories connected to places like that."

"Then take a sleeping pill, for Sith's sake," Anakin said wearily, raking his fingers through his brown hair. "No, don't take it. I'd almost like the satisfaction of stuffing it down your throat."

Okay, now things were getting a little out of hand. Ahsoka bristled and stood from the chair, but she wobbled a bit on her feet and reached out to steady herself against the metal interior of the ship. Her gaze snapped toward Anakin and her eyes narrowed. "I don't take pills, _Master. _I'm plenty strong enough to handle it –"

"But you _aren't _handling it, are you, Snips? I leave you for less than an hour and come back to find you half dead. Just how the _frell _is that 'handling it'?"

"Anakin, Ahsoka, I don't think either of you are in control of your emotions at present –"

Ahsoka had the inexplicable urge to spit out a 'bite me' and be done with it. But this wasn't the Temple and Obi-Wan wasn't one of her peers. He was only trying to keep the tension from escalating any further, even if that alone was starting to get on her frayed nerves.

"Whatever. I don't need help. I'm perfectly fine."

Anakin gave her a look that clearly said, 'yeah, right'. Even Obi-Wan seemed a bit skeptical. Their fears were quickly recognized as truth when Ahsoka tried to walk confidently across the floor of the ship only to crumple into an unconscious heap five seconds later.

This was going to be a long ride home.

.

"Changed, the Force has."

Mace Windu cracked one eye open to gaze calmly in the direction of Master Yoda, who sat unmoving in the meditation room. The green creature's eyes were firmly closed and he seemed to be in deep concentration. Mace patiently waited for him to explain himself, even though he knew the chances of that were about fifty, fifty.

"A bond, it has forged. Rare, this is, for ones so young. Fear the consequences, I do."

"…I see."

To be frank, Mace was actually having trouble with just that. He didn't understand much of what Yoda was trying to get across other than the fact that a special bond had been formed between two or more persons.

"Left, they did, with a simple mission. But returning with this mission unfinished, they are."

"Skywalker is abandoning his mission?" Mace asked, irritation growing in his tone, "It was a simple scouting run, it shouldn't even have taken more than a few days at most and he's _leaving_ the planet –"

"Hasty, you are," Yoda intoned evenly. "A tragedy, there has been."

"A tragedy? Master Yoda, if this… bond… you were speaking of has, in fact, come to pass, then how is it a tragedy? Surely something like this should be celebrated if it's as rare as you say?"

"Hope, we can, that this will turn out well. But unfortunate, it is, that most do not."

"Why?"

"Bonded for life, they are. Completely, forever, to eachother, they will always remain. A gift, as well as a curse, it is. Not always allowed, love is. Tricky, the Force can be. A choice, it has given them. Love eachother, it says, or love _no one_."

* * *

A/N. _Wow, Yoda. Really helpful as always, thanks (lol, I hope you guys understood what he was saying because I always have a hard time writing in his weird speech patterns :P). Anyways I wanted to thank you all again for all the nice reviews! I'm glad to hear that people agreed with some of my opinions regarding the SW universe. Really, though, this is actually one of my favorite fandoms, don't get me wrong. I love it so much that I have a hard time not critiquing it like a cranky old lady, haha._


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